US President Donald Trump declared on Monday at a press conference in the White House that he would “some day” contact Pyongyang and confirmed that he has “very good relations” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
“There is communication and I think it’s extremely important” said Trump. “I have very good relations with Kim Jong-un. You people don’t like to hear that, but it’s immensely important” the US President added.
When asked about the possibility of contacting the North Korean leadership, Trump said that he would “probably do something” about it, without giving a timeline.
Trump described North Korea as a “big nuclear nation” and called Kim a “smart guy”. “I’ve gotten to know him pretty well” he added.
Trump referred to the exchange with Kim during his first term, when he had called Kim a “Little Rocket Man” in a speech at the United Nations in 2017.
“As you know, it started very hard and very mean. ‘Little Rocket Man’ the whole thing was very mean. And then, one day, we got a call that they would like to meet” Trump said.
Trump and Kim met three times – the first time in June 2018 in Singapore, another in February 2019 in Hanoi and the last in June 2019 in the Demilitarized Zone in Panmunjom.
Trump was the first serving US President to set foot on North Korean soil and cross the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.
During his first term, Trump announced the suspension of some major military exercises between the US and South Korea after he had taken up personal talks with Kim. Although these negotiations had failed, Trump signaled his willingness to resume talks during his second term after his re-inauguration in January.
According to experts, Trump’s recent statements suggest his willingness to engage in talks with Pyongyang more than a change in US policy, as reported by the Korea Times on Tuesday.
“‘Although we cannot rule out the possibility that the US might be conducting ‘unofficial’ talks with North Korea, Trump is expressing his desire to bring Kim back to the negotiating table,'” said Hong Min, a leading researcher at the Korean Institute for National Reunification in Seoul, to the newspaper.
He added that Washington could re-establish communication with Pyongyang through two channels: the permanent mission of the DPRK to the UN in New York or Jo Chol-su, the ambassador of the North Korean representation in the UN office in Geneva. Jo is a close associate of North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and had participated in the talks between Washington and Pyongyang from 2018 to 2020, the expert said.
Moon Seong-mook, the head of the Center for Reunification Strategy at the Korean Research Institute for National Strategy, said to the Korea Times that the US is trying to convey the message to Pyongyang that they are open to a contact with Kim.
The expert pointed out that the DPRK currently has less incentive for cooperation with the US, as Pyongyang is now receiving economic and military benefits from Russia. “A dialogue is not possible as long as the US does not recognize North Korea as a nuclear-armed state” Moon said.